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When you first look at the Clash of Champions card, it seems extremely underwhelming. Some may even call it a way to kill time until the Royal Rumble. However, several interesting developments transpired during the show, that could have long-term ramifications.
Coming to us live from the TD Garden in Boston, MA, Clash of Champions was a very interesting event. It did not have the star power than even B-level RAW pay-per-views have, but it more than made up with some good storytelling. Overall, we'd say it was a good show.
Of course, everyone has a different opinion. Feel free to state yours in the comment below, if you disagree with our assessment.
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But for what it's worth, here's what we thought of WWE Clash of Champions 2017.
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#1 Best: The meltdown
The best thing about the tensions that escalated between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon to a boiling point at Clash of Champions is the fact that it leaves the door open for a Daniel Bryan return. However, that's a distant fantasy, so we'll mention the second best thing instead.
The equation between Bryan and McMahon, perhaps the two biggest babyfaces in all of WWE, were forever strained when Bryan did not agree with McMahon's recent invasion of RAW. We like how the story stretched out over weeks, leading to an interesting conclusion at Clash of Champions during the co-main event match.
Anyone who's watched WWE for any amount of time knows that having two referees during any match is the setup for both men to disagree and come to blows. While the latter has not happened yet, it will be interesting to see how the McMahon- Bryan saga pans out on SmackDown Live.
The real reason for this angle to play out could be a possible in-ring return from Daniel Bryan, hopefully at WrestleMania.
#1 Worst: Not capitalizing on momentum?
As is obvious from posts on Twitter and Facebook, Rusev Day is a concept that has caught on like wildfire, of late. Rusev's popularity knows no bounds right now, and Aiden English's sonorous voice lends itself beautifully to their comedy shtick.
As much as we love The Usos, we wonder if WWE missed an opportunity by not having Rusev and English win the Tag Team Championships at Clash of Champions 2017. Not only would it have been what the fans wanted, it would have freshened up the tag team division quite significantly.
Kudos to Rusev and especially English for getting themselves over to such a big degree. Who would have imagined this after the dissolution of The Vaudevillains?
Thankfully, every day is Rusev Day and so they can win their championships on the next Rusev Day.
#2 Best: Styles retaining the WWE Championship
The entire 6-month run that Jinder Mahal enjoyed was a bold step from WWE. During this period, he improved both in the ring and on the microphone. However, he did not get himself over to the degree that WWE assumed he would. WWE needed a change of guard.
The title was conferred to the top babyface in SmackDown Live- AJ Styles. We were glad to see Styles retain the WWE Championship against Mahal in the main event of the evening. The audience loved the result, and so did we.
This is not a knock on Mahal, who was put in a position he just wasn't ready for. This is a celebration of the skills, finesse and talent of AJ Styles.
#2 Worst: The Saxton-Graves banter
Tell us if you noticed this as well. Over the last few weeks, Byron Saxton has become just as argumentative as Booker T is on RAW, with Corey Graves. The two men argue so much and so intently, that they distract from the action in the ring. And it's a shame really!
It's bad enough that we have to endure the tension between Graves and Booker on one show. Also, will SmackDown Live mirror everything RAW does? From Absolution to the Riott Squad, from the entire women's division running in on RAW last week, to the same angle playing out on SmackDown Live.
All the announcers across all the shows need to take chill pills and just call the action in the squared circle. We can't believe we're saying this, but Saxton makes us miss David Otunga at times.
#3 Best: The bludgeoning continues
One of our concerns going in was that The Bludgeon Brothers would have a competitive match against Breezango. They've been exclusively facing enhancement talent thus far, and Breezango were their first real opponents (although some may say that Breezango are enhancement talent too).
The Bludgeon Brothers have been heavily protected thus far, and we all know that they can work when need be. Because of how strong they've looked, they can be major players in the SmackDown Live Tag Team Division.
#3 Worst: Shackled by the stipulation?
Charlotte Flair and Natalya have amazing chemistry, every time they step into the ring. Unfortunately, the lumberjacks prevented them from having the match they could have had. It seemed like an overbooked mess at times. Neither did it advance any storylines, really.
The only benefit of the lumberjacks as such was the tease of the cash in from Carmella. Apart from that, they furthered no angles with their presence.
#4 Best/worst: Ziggler becoming US Champion
Going into the US Title Match, some would have expected Baron Corbin to retain his title. Some others would have expected Bobby Roode to pick up a victory. Nobody would have foreseen Dolph Ziggler walking out with the title. And yet, he certainly did!
There will be a Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin feud going forward, as is obvious from this backstage segment. We wonder if a heel vs. heel program is the right call, at this stage. We wonder what plans the company has for Ziggler.
Ziggler's win certainly is well deserved, all said and done. Everyone respects good ol' Dolph.
Join us for more Clash of Champions post-show coverage on the site because if you don't, Liv Morgan will stare at you like this.
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